Okinawa marks 64th anniversary of WWII battle+

NAHA, Japan, June 23 Kyodo -
Okinawa Prefecture on Tuesday marked the 64th anniversary of the end of the
Battle of Okinawa that killed more than 200,000 people in the closing days of
World War II.

During a memorial ceremony at the Peace Memorial Park in the city of Itoman,
Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima urged the U.S. and Japanese governments to consolidate
and reduce U.S. bases in Okinawa and lessen its burden while also noting the
associated crimes and accidents as well as the issue of unexploded shells that
still remain in the land.
Prime Minister Taro Aso pledged in a speech to put forward ''full efforts to
alleviate the burden'' of the prefecture and remove duds as well.
''I have not forgotten that the peace and prosperity of Japan today has been
built on the grave sacrifices of those who perished in the war. We must never
repeat the horror of war,'' Aso said.
In January, an unexploded shell detonated in Itoman, severely injuring a
construction worker at the site of one of the fiercest battlefields.
This year, the names of 123 people were newly added to the list of those who
perished in the war, bringing the total to 240,856.
About 4,500 ceremony participants, including House of Representatives Speaker
Yohei Kono and House of Councillors President Satsuki Eda, offered a one-minute
silent prayer at noon.
''Frankly speaking, I could not achieve much to alleviate Okinawa's burden, and
I must apologize for that,'' said Kono, who worked on the U.S. base issues as a
foreign minister. ''I sincerely hope the new generation of politicians works on
the issue seriously.''
Residents of the prefecture, which remained under U.S. occupation after the war
until 1972, say there are numerous issues stemming from the base including
noise.
The 2006 agreement between Washington and Tokyo on realignment included
measures to reduce noise and hold training for fighter planes at bases outside
of the prefecture, but with the new F-22A Raptor stealth fighters deployed,
residents claim that the noise has increased contrary to their wishes.
Some 94,000 civilians, a quarter of the residents in the prefecture, were
killed in the three-month-long battle between Japanese and U.S. troops in 1945.
==Kyodo